Female Genital Mutilation

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) comprises all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reason.

The Female Genital Mutilation Act was introduced in 2003 and came into effect in March 2004.

The Act:

Makes it illegal to practice FGM in the UK;

Makes it illegal to take girls who are British nationals or permanent residents of the UK abroad for FGM whether or not it is lawful in that country;

Makes it illegal to aid, abet, counsel or procure the carrying out of FGM abroad;

Has a penalty of up to 14 years in prison and/or a fine.

FGM is a type of harmful practice. These are forms of violence and abuse which have been committed primarily against women and girls in certain communities and societies for so long that they are considered, or presented by perpetrators, as part of accepted cultural practice.

Frequently Asked Questions

In 1985 the Prohibition of Female Circumcision Act made it a criminal offence to perform FGM. In 2003 the Female Genital Mutilation Act tightened this law to criminalise FGM being carried out on UK citizens overseas. It is an offence to:

FGM is sometimes referred to as Female Circumcision or Female Genital Cutting, is defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as the range of procedures which involve ‘the partial or complete removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs whether for cultural or any other non-therapeutic reason’.

Type 1, Clitoridectomy: Partial or total removal of the clitoris (a small, sensitive and erectile part of the female genitals) and, rarely, the prepuce (the fold of skin surrounding the clitoris) as well

Type 2, Excision: Partial or total removal of the clitoris and the labia minora, with or without excision of the labia majora (the labia are ‘the lips’ that surround the vagina)

Type 3, Infibulation: Narrowing of the vaginal opening through the creation of a covering seal. The seal is formed by cutting and repositioning the inner and sometimes outer labia, with or without removal of the clitoris

Type 4, Other: All other harmful procedures to the female genitalia for non-medical purposes for example, pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterising the genital area. Type 4 is noted by professionals to be common among [FGM] practising communities, however, it is also the type that often goes unnoticed and therefore not recorded.

If you are worried about FGM and going abroad, you could take a copy of the ‘Statement opposing Female Genital Mutilation’, which is sometimes called a ‘Heath Passport’. The FGM statement highlights the fact that FGM is a serious criminal offence in the UK with a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison. Someone worried about FGM should print out this statement, take it with them abroad and show it to their family. They could keep the declaration in their passport, purse or bag and should carry it all the time. Download theFGM statement (PDF, 632Kb)

More information on FGM, as well as the likely signs that would indicate that a child is at imminent risk or have been subject to FGM, as well as how and where to get help, is available in the Brighton & Hove FGM Resource Pack.